Membership Dues Part III - Best Practices

Comrades and colleagues -

Here we are at Part III of my series on membership dues as a way to build both power and resources. If you missed them, you can find Part I (How and Why) here, and Part II (Building Ownership and Accountability) here.

It’s been a joy to work on this and share it with you all! In the process I’ve gotten to talk to organizations who have different takes, offer variations in structure and approach, or want to lean into this model. And I’ve learned just how passionate I am about this topic! As someone with a long history in both grassroots organizing and fundraising, I love the opportunity to bring those varied experiences to others. If you want to talk with me about making use of these ideas, or have examples or other models to share, I welcome your thoughts - please do book me for a free 30 minute chat here. And now let’s jump into best practices!

BEST PRACTICES

1. Membership dues programs should be built with collaboration between organizing and fundraising leaders.

When I started as the Director of Development at Jews for Racial & Economic Justice,  our language about membership was vague and had a heavy focus on participation.  Fundraising and organizing efforts were separate from each other. The Director of Organizing (the incredible and brilliant Rachel McCullough) and I built a small team with several member leaders to discuss how and why to shift this approach. Our collaboration helped create a membership program that centered both organizing and fundraising priorities, and framed paying dues as taking action.

We also reduced our dues from $108 to $5 a month or $36 a year. Reducing our dues was scary, but we ended up raising much more money after these changes. Over the course of just a few years, we grew from 300 individual donors, who originally didn’t necessarily think of themselves as members, to now over 6,000 dues-paying members. We also shifted the budget from being disproportionately (over 70%) funded from foundations, to over 60% funded from individuals today. JFREJ continues to grow our membership - as a member leader, I’m thrilled to invite you to join me as a dues paying member! (All are welcome - you don’t need to be Jewish or NYC!)

2. Involve members in shaping decisions and recruiting other members, and make dues-asks the norm.

At JFREJ, we built a culture that normalized asking for dues. We talked about the value of membership at every event and always asked people to join us. More importantly, we almost always had members (rather than staff) make the ask themselves. This meant attendees heard directly from them about why they joined and what membership meant to them. This is a great leadership development opportunity for people - I’ve trained dozens of members in making these asks, prioritizing the message that they don’t need to be an expert in fundraising or be very polished - quite the contrary. One of the most effective asks that I’ve ever seen came from someone who was so nervous that their voice was shaking to the point of nearly crying. They spoke directly from the heart about what JFREJ meant to them, straight to the hearts of the other people in the room, and that was what people needed to hear to join. And, of course, this member got more comfortable with each and every ask that they made!

For organizations that do deep leadership development, leaders (chapter leaders, committee leaders, board members, event speakers, etc) need to be encouraged and supported to bring in other members. Leadership means leading other people - and that sets the tone for the membership. Leaders need to be members - you can’t ask someone to do something you won’t do yourself. “Join me” are the two most powerful words in membership recruitment and in fundraising. Many organizations have successful membership committees or membership captains because it is particularly powerful to ensure that leaders help define and drive membership.

3. Be clear about member roles and definitions.

When building out your plan, clarify what membership means and who makes up the fabric of your membership (and, just as importantly, who doesn’t).  When someone called themselves a member who hadn’t paid dues, we didn’t bop them on the head and tell them to stop. We did switch our language to saying “dues paying members”, and we sent a packet to new members welcoming them to the team. There were, and are, some aspects of the organization that are only open to members - such as voting on endorsements or participating in some events and member spaces.

Within the membership, identify your “ladder of engagement” - how members can take on increasingly higher levels of activity, involvement, and leadership. Make sure you always value members at every level of participation. Members who “only” pay dues are the wind in the sails of all of the work of the organization - and need to understand why they are so important to the work. Each rung on the ladder can be a stepping stone to a higher level of participation - but each rung needs to be valued (and feel valuable!) on its own.  Some members will stay on the same rung, and that’s okay! Every kind of contribution is important, and it’s important that all members feel that way, too.

Some organizations consider a dues-waiver for a year to recognize financial hardship and other barriers that people might encounter when joining an organization. If there are groups of people who have traditionally been marginalized by the organization, providing that waiver can be a way to invite them in as you make the organization more representative and inclusive. HOWEVER - waivers should not be given to people who fall outside your membership definition. If your organization defines membership for BIPOC folks, white people should not be given a waiver!

Now What?

While these are framed as best practices, they are based on my reflections and learnings from the organizations that I have worked with. They may not work for you and your organization - make them yours. Regardless, I stand firm in the belief that membership is one of the most critical tools that we have in building our base in order to enact change.  Membership gives people a sense of their own power, and exercising that power leads to changing the conditions that affect our lives. It also plays a critical role in funding for an organization–grassroots funding bases are incredibly powerful (and inclusive) when large groups of people give at the basic membership levels, while others give more if they can.

It can take some time to define and build a membership program. Engagement with your base is critical to building a membership program, and members need to be part of defining what it is and how it works. As you’re on this journey, please do see me as a resource - you can reach me by responding to this email, connecting with me on Linked In, or scheduling a 30 minute call with me. Good luck - build that power and raise those grassroots funds!